Just a few weeks ago, we heard from maybe the most reliable Italian source when it comes to football finances that Juventus’ potential payout for their participation in this summer’s Club World Cup will probably not rival the rumored €50 million figure we first heard about when they qualified for the tournament a little under a year ago.
The catch in all of it was that we hadn’t heard anything from FIFA regarding how much each club — especially those like Juventus who are amongst the biggest names around coming over from across the Atlantic from Europe — would be receiving for being part of the 32-team field come June.
Well, Wednesday brought us a bit of news. Or, to be more specific, we got a confirmed breakdown from FIFA about how the financials will all play out for the tournament.
Prepare yourself because there’s about to be a lot of numbers thrown out over the next few hundred words.
There’s the first level of how things go, with the total prize money put being a cool $1 billion. (That’s with a B, not an M, folks. Just making sure we’re clear here.) From there, $525 million of that total prize money pot will go into what is called the “Participation Pillar” and involves the initial payout that each club will get for playing in this summer’s tournament. For clubs coming to the U.S. from European leagues, they will receive a guaranteed amount between $12.81 million and $38.19 million, with location, ticket sales and “sporting and commercial criteria” determining just how much each club will get.
Then there’s the part of the equation that involves how far you progress in the tournament itself, with a total of $475 in the “Sports Performance Pillar” out there. Here’s the breakdown:
Group stage: $2 million for a win, $1 million for a draw
Round of 16: $7.5 million for advancement
Quarterfinal: $13.125 million for advancement
Semifinal: $21 million for advancement
Final: $40 million to the winner
So while we don’t know for sure how much Juventus could earn for their initial participation “fee” when it comes to the “Participation Pillar,” the “Sports Performance Pillar” is rather easy to figure out. You win a group stage game? Here’s an extra $2 million. Juve draw against a group stage opponent like Manchester City? Then you get a million bucks added to your final payout. Same goes for how much you get for getting to each step of the knockout rounds.
For whatever it’s worth, here’s what FIFA President Gianni Infantino had to say about all the money they will be dishing out this summer:
“The distribution model of the FIFA Club World Cup reflects the pinnacle of club football and represents the biggest-ever prize money for a football tournament comprising a seven-match group stage and playoff format with a potential payout of USD 125 million foreseen for the winners.
“In addition to the prize money for the participating teams, there is an unprecedented solidarity investment programme where we have a target of an additional 250 million dollars being provided to club football across the world. This solidarity will undoubtedly provide a significant boost in our ongoing efforts in making football truly global.
“Not only that, but FIFA will neither retain any funding for this tournament, as all revenues will be distributed to club football, nor will it touch FIFA’s reserves, which are set aside for global football development through the 211 FIFA Member Associations.”
Juventus open the Club World Cup group stage against Al Ain FC on Wednesday, June 18, at Audi Field in Washington, D.C., with kickoff scheduled for 9 p.m. local time.